Imagine having your leg in a Plaster of Paris (PoP) cast for over two months.
Life is always difficult when mobility is affected, as the plaster also generates heat, making everything unbearable.
However, when the time comes to have the cast removed, it is always a joyful moment, as one feels assured of being on the right path to recovery.
But it was a nightmare for Mordecai Banda, a resident of Ndirande, who went to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) to have the PoP removed from his wife’s leg.
PoP services at QECH’s Orthopaedic Department are provided on Thursdays and on such days, the place is often congested.
“We were told that the equipment used to remove PoPs was unavailable, so we had to do it manually,” Banda said.
He added that they used water to soften the plaster and also used razor blades and knives to remove the PoP.
“It was a bad experience because you can imagine the PoP covering the entire leg and being removed manually. I saw someone who couldn’t manage it alone and decided to return home, saying they would come back the following week,” Banda said.
He further claimed that over 30 people had come to the hospital that day.
A cast cutter is one of the items used to remove PoP casts.
One of the health workers in the Orthopaedic Department told us that the cast cutter went missing last week and that for two weeks, patients with PoPs had been struggling to be assisted.
“Some security personnel have since been taken to the police for questioning, as they are suspected to know how the equipment went missing,” he said.
The hospital worker lamented that he felt sorry for those who had to remove the plaster manually.
QECH Director Kelvin Mponda did not respond to our phone calls nor to our WhatsApp message.
Health rights activist Maziko Matemba said there is a need to equip hospitals with the necessary resources.
“When someone is injured, they may not have the expertise to assist themselves and could end up harming themselves.
“What happened at QECH should be a wake-up call to equip health facilities with the necessary equipment. This may be the case in other hospitals too,” Matemba said.
QECH has been struggling with the provision of several other services, according to our recent assessments of reports from workers at the referral facility, which is regarded as the country’s largest central hospital.
Last year, the hospital suspended dialysis services due to a machine breakdown.
Around 20 dialysis patients were then referred to Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe, where they are currently receiving treatment.
One of the patients, musician Paul Banda, told us that conditions in Lilongwe are not ideal.
“There is congestion. The food is poor and the wards are in bad condition. We have been here since around October last year, but we do not know when we will return to Blantyre. One of us died during treatment,” Banda said.
The patients engaged with Deputy Minister of Health Noah Chimpeni, who assured them that the dialysis machine at QECH would be fixed this week.
